Maura Johnston

For a large chunk of the 2010s, country music was defined by the bro. The s...

For a large chunk of the 2010s, country music was defined by the bro. The stadium-rocking, beer-chugging subgenre dominated radio and arenas, thanks to the popularity of artists like Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. Characterized...

This November, Van Morrison celebrated the half-centennial of his album Ast...

This November, Van Morrison celebrated the half-centennial of his album Astral Weeks, on which the Irish troubadour added his rousing high baritone to a watercolor landscape awash with genres so thoroughly blended it nearly rendered...

Paul McCartney's accumulated discography is among the most impressive in po...

Paul McCartney's accumulated discography is among the most impressive in pop. But as he's demonstrated in recent years—his collaborations with Dave Grohl as well as Kanye West and Rihanna, his marathon live shows—the former Beatle...

In the nearly four years since Nicki Minaj released her third album The Pin...

In the nearly four years since Nicki Minaj released her third album The Pinkprint, a lot has happened: the U.S. elected a chaos-inducing president, the #MeToo movement took off, Kanye West and Taylor Swift ran...

Kanye West's projects since he teamed up with his now-wife Kim Kardashian W...

Kanye West's projects since he teamed up with his now-wife Kim Kardashian West in 2012—the abrasive Yeezus, the sprawling The Life of Pablo, the series of personal appearances punctuated by top-of-the-head singles—have had varying stylistic...